


Parental Guidance

by Rod



Series: Parallel Lines [25]
Category: Veritas: The Quest
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rod/pseuds/Rod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Solomon notices that there's something up with Cal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parental Guidance

Cal sighs, slumps a little in his chair, and tries to drag his attention back to the riddle in front of him. He fails.

He was doing so well, Cal thinks to himself. In the past couple of weeks since he and Nikko broke up — not that they'd been together, really, but Cal can't think of it any other way — in the past couple of weeks Cal has barely thought of Nikko. Through the whole screwed-up business with Burns he forced himself not to, wrenching his attention back to matters in hand any time a word or a noise or even a scent on the air reminded him of the alleyway. Whenever he needed to stop Nikko from taking over his mind, all he had to do was remember Nikko's face back in the library: cold, closed, and final. The bridges between the two of them were thoroughly burnt, and there was no going back from that.

So apart from those brief bouts of temporary insanity, and the occasional morning shower when Cal could bring himself to touch himself, he hadn't thought about Nikko at all. They'd spoken as much as they had to in order to get the job done, then they'd gone their separate ways. No fuss, no mess. He had been dealing, Cal tells himself. He might not have been forgetting Nikko per se, which was impossible anyway since Nikko was right in front of his face all the time, but he had been getting on with his life and not spending every waking moment obsessing about something he couldn't have.

Now they're abroad again, down in the Rhine valley on the trail of treasure stolen from the Carolingian kings, and in less than twenty four hours all that progress has been undone.

Cal is, of course, sharing a room with Nikko, because the universe hates him. He couldn't very well protest to Dr Zond about that, because he'd have to come up with some convincing reason why the two of them couldn't share, and Cal's never been any good at lying to his boss. Now he doesn't know whether he's scared to go to his room in case he finds Nikko there, or in case he doesn't.

You see, it had taken Nikko all of an hour to find a pretty blonde German girl with just enough English and just enough lack of sense to find Nikko's cruddy German endearing. All it took was one glance across the room, one unguarded moment when Cal wasn't prepared for it, and the sight of Nikko flirting with her broke something inside him.

He can't be jealous, Cal knows. He gave up Nikko, gave up any right he might have had to be jealous of who Nikko smiles at, just to make sure that Veritas could carry on going and the world wouldn't end. Maybe that's histrionic of him and maybe it isn't, but Cal meant what he said that night; Veritas is too important for him to screw it up because he can't keep his mind off Nikko.

He can't be jealous, but he is. Cal had to stop himself doing a background check on Goldilocks or whatever her name was three times before Maggie got suspicious and did one anyway. He couldn't suppress the little thrill of pleasure he got when the red flags started rising and Vincent recognised one or two names Nikko shouldn't ever be let near. And it took more willpower than one man should have to pull together in a lifetime not to rip into Nikko when he insisted on playing along with her, deliberately acting as bait to turn the tables on Dorna.

And now, once again, Cal can't concentrate for shit.

Cal rubs tiredly at his eyes, ruefully thinking that it doesn't help that he hasn't been sleeping all that well anyway, and looks up to see Dr Zond settling into the seat opposite him. "How's it going?"

Cal makes a face. "Have I told you recently how much I hate Middle German?"

"It could be worse," Dr Zond tells him with a smile.

"It is worse. The translation I can handle, it's the riddle embedded in bad poetic imagery that's driving me nuts."

"I'll send Juliet over once she and Maggie have the rest of the gear checked out."

Cal suppresses the urge to offer to swap places with her right now. Normally he'd be the one playing with the electronics and calibrating the sensors, but he found this damn inscription so he's the one to be tortured with it. Besides, getting close enough to Nikko to fit a wire on him isn't something he can cope with right now. He just nods and looks back down at his notebook.

"Cal?"

Cal looks back up, surprised. Dr Zond is looking serious now, and Cal feels his heart sink. If this wasn't just the normal check on his progress, there's only one other thing it can be. Dr Zond must have noticed.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Cal blinks for a moment, thoroughly derailed. "Uh, yeah," he says eventually, painfully aware of how unconvincing he sounds. "I mean, I'm running a little short on sleep, but aside from that..."

Dr Zond shakes his head. "I meant over the last week or two," he says. "Don't get me wrong, you've been doing good work. You've even cut down on arguing with Nikko, and God knows I haven't figured that one out yet. But you're better than good, Cal, and I need you at the top of your game."

Cal isn't quite sure what to say to that. He's so relieved that Dr Zond hasn't noticed that he's obsessing over Nikko and that he isn't abruptly looking for a new job away from annoying teenagers that his mind goes blank. "Thanks," he says, smiling tentatively and padding as best he can. "There's nothing wrong, I guess I just must be off my game. That's all."

Dr Zond nods, though he doesn't seem all that convinced. "OK," he says slowly, "but if you ever do hit any kind of problem, you can always talk to me about it. You know that, right?"

How Cal keeps a straight face through the next few seconds is beyond him. When the problem is keeping his hands off Nikko Zond, Solomon Zond is the very last person he will ever turn to. Not that he'd turn to anyone for advice on that, even if he did have a problem, or at least one he didn't already have a handle on, but it's the principle of the thing.

Dr Zond seems to take his silence as assent. "Just so you know," he says. He claps Cal on the shoulder and stands up, glancing briefly at Cal's working notes. "Roses?" he asks.

A niggling memory of the nearby monastery finally rises to the front of Cal's mind, and suddenly the riddle starts unfolding for him.


End file.
